Beverage cans are metal containers designed to hold a fixed amount of a beverage, such as soda, beer, fruit juice, tea, and so on. Worldwide, greater than 350 billion cans are produced per year, the majority of which are made of aluminum. Unfortunately, metal is a good conductor of heat and, once removed from cold storage, a chilled can of a beverage will warm to the surrounding temperature very quickly. Beverage can insulators (known by many names, such as can coolers, candoms, huggers, huggies and koozies, to name a few), usually comprise a foam sleeve that is sized to surround and thermally insulate the can. The typical koozie will cover the lower approximately 70% of the can, leaving the top 30% exposed so the user can freely access and drink from the opening at the top of the can. Of course, the exposed top can portion permits the unrestricted heating of the can and its contents, as well as permitting dirt and other debris, or worse, bugs, to cover and enter that drink opening.
Koozie tops, lids and covers of some form have been developed to cover the can top, such as are shown in the following U.S. Patents and Patent Publications:
Pat./Pub. No.Inventor9,038,850Wilson7,677,056Panganiban6,860,399Reeves6,789,693Lassiter6,206,223Wicker6,039,207Adamek5,740,951Jack5,740,940Weiss5,325,988Ekem5,139,163Diaz5,078,296Amidzich4,927,047Stuber4,872,577Smith4,494,672Pearson4,194,627Christensen3,905,511Groendal3,023,922Arrington et al.D675,881Wamack, Jr.D530,984BoldenD474,650ReevesD347,973McBrideUS2011/0220670 A1Poole et al.US2007/0149764 A1ReevesUS2004/0061208 A1BoydWO2004065230Reeves
While these koozie tops help keep the can better insulated and protected from bugs and debris, improvements in convenience and ease of use can be made.